Thread: Convince me to buy a 2013-14 D4 ... or not

Originally Posted by cripesamighty

Maybe I should have put "see the GOE site for an idea" instead. Didn't realise the saga continued. There are a couple of posts on AULRO with what is required if you would like to to DIY a kit.

Sounds like I need to do more research on GOE then. Doesn't sound good!

Originally Posted by letherm

Looked at the clip and my view is that they would not be stored in the ECU or the GAPIID tool.

Right, just to be clear the faults are stored in each specific ECU until cleared. Some faults (such as body control or TCM) are time/distance stamped and some faults (such as HPFP/EGR) are not. You can read them with the GAP and you can clear them with the GAP. Once they have been cleared they are gone, so unless you've printed or e-mailed the fault list there is no way to examine historical fault data.

Faults such as missing messages, bus failing to go to sleep or communications timeouts are common and apparently harmless. Some of the more sinister faults are less so, but something as innocuous as a flat battery can manifest faults that would lead you to believe the sky is falling. Relying on stored faults for warnings as to potential vehicle faults can be entirely misleading.

So yeah, if you are going shopping and have access to a GAP, then knock yourself out. But you could be looking at a vehicle where someone cleared the faults an hour before, or you could be looking at a vehicle with a christmas tree full of faults that happen to be there because they had a flat battery 12 months ago and nobody has cleared them since.

I've struggled with this issue for years now and have decided the risks are too great mainly due to gearbox and engine issues which is sad given they are not LR units.

But then again I would not touch a 79 series nor a 200 series unless it had a good warranty or 4wd youtube sponsors to fix the design/operational faults.

What is there out there that is not design/trouble free nowadays...they are all a big risk?

D3/d4s are cheap for what you get...but can and do turn nasty.
New with warranty....yes I would. ..but 2nd hand with often sketchy servicing...no thanks😐

Any car can let you down. I've done over 330000 kms in my D3 (and I think the D4 is better built) and I've never once hesitated to take it anywhere. Outback or High Country. Where it impressed me the most was on the Madigan Line, where we also did Geo Survey Hill and the Geo Centre. Stock standard. I just pulled the centre row seats out and had all my fuel across the floor. No dust, no problems over the dunes and reasonably economical. The trick is, keep them serviced and maintained. You can't skimp on maintenance. Simple.

In, from memory, 2014 i bought a 2009 TDV8 RRS with 56,000 klms and was a superb vehicle. Towed my 2.9T c/van with ease. I had Justin service the tranny and replace the discs/pads and that was about it. When towing the c/van it never got worse than 15.9 lphk. At around 115,000 klms whilst on the mainland towing the van it had an airbag "go". Every morning it would be down on the LHS but would pump up immediately i started the engine. A long story short, i started to convince myself I couldn't afford to have an unreliable expensive vehicle to maintain as I am retired. I (very, no, extremely stupidly) sold the RRS and bought a new Isuzu MUX in Nov 2017.That 6 speed tranny is same as in Hilux and Prado as it is an Aisin who is part owned by Toyota. That tranny is just sooo poorly matched to the engine's torque characteristics its just not funny. It also **** a turbo at 22,000 klms which is a common problem i have since found out. Got so fed up with the car never going into 6th until doing at least 90 kph and noisy engine, c/van wanting to control the car, and on it goes. In October last year i bit the bullet and sold it. Bought an MY2013 Disco 4 with 102,000 klms from a dealer in Canberra and i still have the grin of satisfaction on my face every time i drive it. So that little exercise cost me $15k all up.
The Disco is such a refined car. Three cars ago I had a 2004 GXL Turbo diesel L/cruiser from 72,000klm to 266,000 and it was not without its problems, ie, alternator seized without prior noise nor warning and also water pump leaked. It's whole of life running costs were surprisingly high. Didn't realise just how terribly it understeered until I bought the RRS.
Have driven my (2) mate's LC200 L/cruisers and they are just a luxurious light truck. The Disco is much more refined in the steering, braking & suspension depts.
It is a much nicer balanced motor car than anything from Japan.
The paddle shift 8 speed is an absolute joy to drive when towing as you can drive to the Tacho and make precise changes. Last week whilst towing the van we stopped at Scamander (Tassy, east coast) for a coffee where there was a Disco 4 parked and as I was looking at his tyres (19" Cooper Zeon LTZ) the owner came over and we chatted. Car has done 254,000 klms with total reliability and all over Aus. Has a front diff lock (interesting) as he is a surfer and needs it for sand dunes......The car had that look of being well used and not nursed if you get what I mean.
My son has a 2008 Disco 3 with 178,000 klms and has been a really reliable vehicle in spite of the fact that he cooked the engine when that stupid water transfer housing broke in the centre V. That was about 23,000 klms ago and the engine is fine, never uses oil between 10,000 klms oil/filter changes so must go to show what a strong engine they are. He didn't seize it but it got VERY hot. We have religiously used Wynns in all our compartments so maybe that helped. That car has only had the LCA bushes done once so they are not THAT much of a problem. I guess it depends on the terrain you drive.
I have found that the main people who criticise Disco's are people who have never actually owned one.
As everyone has said, make sure it has a good service history (as you would do with ANY vehicle you may buy). Change the oil/filter every 10,000 klms and use a full synthetic oil. Change auto oil every 70-90,000 klms depending on how much towing you do. etc The tranny is strong, used by RR, LR, Jaguar, BMW, Audi, Jeep, and with the 8 speed I see it is in the Bentley and Rolls Royces.
If you buy one I guarantee you'll have a perennial smile on your face when driving!

Birdboy, at the End of the Day, owning a Land Rover is a 'lifestyle' choice, not an intellectual exercise.

You have two questions, (a) How do i FEEL when I drive it ? and (b) Do I have adequate financial resources?


But be warned, too much positivity in question (a) can drive (b) to the edge of the slimmest margins...


Cheers !

"The Lady Sarah", '95 Classic with resurrected Air Suspension, - gone to a caring new home...



PS, In this day and age, you need not get your hands dirty... mechanic's gloves for the bigger jobs and surgical disposables for everything else

Buy the diagnostic gizmo and Air suspension thingy, having the equivalent for my (1995) air suspension was the only way I could have re-built and maintained it.

So this is how it went when I bought my D3. I looked a Patrols and Landcruisers but kept coming back to the D3. So much more for your money. I read about their off-road ability and refinement. I also heard the stories about them always breaking down. I searched through this forum and read about “all the problems”. I bit the bullet and bought the D3 anyway. Then as I continued to read the forum I started to think “ what have I done”? Every day I got in and turned the key and there wasn’t a dash full of warning lights was a little victory. Then started to do some short off-road trips. Up the beach of Bribie and back through the centre. A trip through the D’Aguilar ranges. Nothing went wrong. A week on Moreton Island. 2 weeks on Fraser Island. Still nothing. The more I drove it the more comfortable and confident I became. I no longer worry about it breaking down and would feel confident taking it pretty much anywhere. This forum has some great information. Just don’t let it scare you off. I don’t regret my purchase.

I am NOT going to try to convince you of anything - just tell you my experience.

I have owned many cars over the years and driven most 4x4s for work. I have an army transport background, so have been in many off road situations.

My 2015 D4 TD4, purchased new, is the first 4x4 that I have owned. I really did my homework before purchase - it came down to Landcruiser, Prado, Jeep or Disco. I needed a 4x4 to tow a 6.7M boat long distances to remote places. I have no interest in off road as such (got that out of my system in the army) but I wanted a vehicle that would get me into, and especially out of dirt tracks after unexpected rain, towing the boat, but was a comfortable highway cruising vehicle..

My Disco has 125,000 km on the clock after 4 years, about 40,000 of that towing a 2.5 tonne boat/trailer. Mostly on sealed roads (some pretty crappy) and only a few thousand km on dirt. I have done 4 x 4,000 km round trips to the NT towing the boat.

The D4 Disco is the most comfortable cruising vehicle I have ever driven. It is quiet, smooth and very sure-footed on bitumen or dirt. It tows the boat like its not there We returned last night from a 4,000 km round trip with the boat to the McArthur R in the NT - and did 1,400 km in 14.5 hrs yesterday from the Barkly Roadhouse to Townsville.

I LOVE IT ! As do all my mates who have ridden in it and driven it on our fishing trips.

My Disco is serviced to the letter, always with the local dealer, and anything found wanting is fixed. They are not a cheap vehicle to maintain. I have had zero issues with the vehicle. I took out the extended warrantee when I bought it and it is still covered by that - but I have only had a couple of minor thinks fixed under that. They are well known issues like tie rod bushes and a couple of oil leaks. I had the transmission serviced at my expense at 85,000 km.

Would I buy another one? Dunno! I have reservations about the D5 but I would buy a new D4 in a heartbeat - if I could get one!